Park Objectives

• • To conserve and enhance the natural beauty, biodiversity and cultural heritage of Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park.

• • To encourage and enable learning, understanding and enjoyment of Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park.

• • To promote and foster environmentally sustainable development for the social and economic well-being of the people and communities within the Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park area.
  • Offering a variety of activities, we encourage physical well-being and connection with nature, fostering a healthy, active lifestyle.
  • Dedicated to wildlife protection and environmental education, we work to cultivate a sense of stewardship and sustainable interaction with nature.

Creation

A Regional Park designation was first proposed in the 1940’s for this part of the Clyde Valley (Greenock to West Kilbride).

In 1947, the Clyde Valley Plan (Abercromby 1947) described the Clyde Coast from Greenock to West Kilbride as …“this section of the coast with the hill country behind it is another area of great popularity, apart from its holiday significance. It has a number of glens roaming down to the sea, an area of considerable importance to the rambler and natural historian, and its outlook to the Firth of Clyde and the grape-blue jagged peaks of Arran is of the highest order of scenic value…”

In the 1960′s Renfrew County Council proposed the Renfrewshire Regional Park and implemented a programme to manage an area of 30 000 acres (12 500 ha) including the creation of Muirshiel Country Park in June 1970. This was the blueprint for a modern day Park system in Scotland.

In 1971 Castle Semple County Park, Lochwinnoch was designated and another Visitor Centre was built at Cornalees in 1973, although it was not designated as a Country Park.

In 1981 the Wildlife and Countryside (Scotland) Act provided the enabling legislation for Regional Parks. In this, Regional Parks are defined as ‘large areas of countryside parts of which are available for informal countryside recreation’.

in 1990, Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park was formally designated, it covers 28 100 ha (108sqmiles/281sqkms) of West Central Scotland.

Evolution

The policy statement on Regional Parks for Scotland by NatureScot points out their aims: “….to facilitate both the appropriate understandings and enjoyment of the countryside and the integration of this with the other uses of the area, such as farming, forestry and other development, with the context of maintaining and enhancing a quality natural heritage setting. This type of approach is fully consistent with thinking about countryside management, and its development for the next 20 years. Regional Parks have indeed been to the fore in applying this more integrated approach in Scotland”.

In 2003 the Scottish Outdoor Access Code provides detailed guidance on the exercise of the ancient tradition of universal access to land in Scotland, which was formally codified by The Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003. Under Scots law everyone has the right to be on most land and inland water for non motorised recreation, education and going from place to place providing they act responsibly.

 In 2005 the Renfrewshire Heights Special Protection Area was designated.

In 2012 the Park’s Castle Semple Centre was designated the the first ‘Centre of Excellence’ in Scotland for accessible sailing through RYA Scotland and RYA Sailability partnerships.

In 2014 Waterhead Moor – Muirshiel, in the upland core of the Regional Park was identified as nationally important ‘Wild Land’ – the only ‘Wild Land’ in central Scotland.

Clyde Muirshiel Park Authority, a Joint Committee of Renfrewshire, Inverclyde and North Ayrshire operated from 1990 to 2021.